Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the party would not allow the RSS and BJP to “attack the history and culture of Assam”.
Rahul said this at a rally organised by the Congress here to express solidarity with those protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The day was also the 135th anniversary of the foundation of the Congress.
Over 15,000 people from across the state participated in the rally that was attended by senior leaders like Assam in-charge Harish Rawat, PCC president Ripun Bora, CWC member Tarun Gogoi and leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia.
“We will not allow the RSS and the BJP to attack the history and culture of Assam. You (people) must be united and tell the BJP leaders that you are united and that they cannot attack Assam’s history and culture. Assam will not be run by Nagpur, Assam will not be run by RSS chaddiwala (khaki knickers) but by its own people,” Rahul said.
The BJP, he said, spread hatred wherever it went and condemned the police firing on anti-CAA protesters in Assam. “The youths had just protested. What was the need to kill them? Everything can be done by love. The BJP does not want to listen to the voice of the people,” he said.
In February this year, he had opposed the citizenship bill from the same venue.
Five persons died of suspected police firing in anti-CAA protests in Assam that erupted after the Lok Sabha passed the citizenship bill on December 9.
After the Khanapara rally, the Congress leader visited the families of two of the victims, Sam Stefford, 16, a resident of Hatigaon here and Dipanjal Das, 17, a resident of Dolegaon in Kamrup district.
The AICC announced Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the five deceased.
Chaygaon MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed handed over an e-rickshaw to Dipanjal’s father, following Rahul’s request.
Through the CAA, persecuted persons of six communities from three neighbouring countries, who entered the country before December 31, 2014, even without valid documents, will get Indian citizenship. In Assam, the people are worried that CAA will help lakhs of Bangladeshi Hindus settled in the state, posing a threat to the language and culture of the state.
Rahul said during the BJP’s tenure, Assam was heading towards the path of violence.
“Assam was recovering from the path of violence and moving towards peace and development. I am afraid that during the BJP tenure, it is again slipping into an era of violence,” he said.
“Earlier I had said that if the BJP came to power in Assam peace and development will stop. I am feeling sad to remind you of my words today,” he added.
Rahul said the people of Assam had accepted the Assam Accord, which had brought peace to the state and should not be violated.
According to the Accord, the cut-off date for detection and deportation of illegal migrants is March 24, 1971.
Organisations here have been pointing out that by giving citizenship to illegal migrants entering the state till December 31, 2014, the Centre was violating the Accord.
Rahul slammed the BJP for its alleged mishandling of the country’s economy through measures like demonetisations and imposition of goods and services tax, its failure to create jobs for the youths and waiving loans worth Rs 1.40 lakh crore to industrialists. “What have you given the farmers?” he asked.
Rahul said they have not (without naming the BJP) understood the Northeast. “They thought that they will crush the language, culture and history of the Northeast in two minutes. It is clear that they did not understand you, they did not understand the Northeast. We had clearly told Parliament that we will not allow it to be passed. We will not allow any attack on the people of Northeast and Assam. Whatever happens, we will not allow any harm to come to any Indian citizen.”
PCC president Ripun Bora said if the Congress came to power by 2021, it will not let the Centre implement the CAA in the state
Additional reporting by Kulendu Kalita in Boko
